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One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage

Updated / Originally published / 151 Comments

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This one pan creamy gnocchi with sausage recipe is an easy, quick, and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes!

This one pan creamy gnocchi with sausage recipe is an easy, quick, and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes!

It's time for another simple gnocchi recipe! My creamy spinach and mushroom gnocchi recipe has been doing really well (it is delicious), so I made a creamy tomato gnocchi recipe recently as well.

Those two recipes are vegetarian, so I decided to make one for the meat lovers out there.

I'm super excited about this one too!

What kind of gnocchi to use?

I buy the shelf-stable potato gnocchi found in the pasta aisle of most major grocery stores.

This one pan creamy gnocchi with sausage recipe is an easy, quick, and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes!

Like the other gnocchi recipes, this Italian sausage gnocchi is a one pan wonder as well. No need to boil the gnocchi in a separate pan because it all cooks in the sauce.

Fewer dishes!

And this sauce is lip-smackingly good. It's tomato-based, creamy, garlicky, and the pieces of Italian sausage take the flavor to the next level. Total comfort food.

You know me... I love me some creamy sauces every now and then. 😉

Pro tip: If you can't use white wine for whatever reason, try replacing it with chicken broth + 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

Have you tried my Sausage, Kale, and Gnocchi Soup or my Easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup?

This one pan creamy gnocchi with sausage recipe is an easy, quick, and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes!

This creamy gnocchi recipe has received a lot of love since I first posted it - one sweet reader said: "This was fantastic and my family loved it!" 

More one-pan gnocchi recipes you may like:

This one pan creamy gnocchi with sausage recipe is an easy, quick, and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes!

Hope you love this easy gnocchi recipe!

Questions? Don't hesitate to ask.

This one pan creamy gnocchi with sausage recipe is an easy, quick, and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes!
4.96 from 42 votes
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One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage

This one pan creamy gnocchi with sausage recipe is an easy, quick, and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword gnocchi with sausage
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Natasha Bull

Ingredients

  • 8.8 ounces Italian sausages (cut into bite-size pieces) see recipe notes
  • 1/2 small onion chopped finely
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine (e.g. sauvignon blanc)
  • 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Handful fresh basil torn
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Prep your sausage and onion. Feel free to take the sausage meat out of the casing if that's easier than cutting it.

  2. Sauté the sausage pieces and onion in a skillet on on medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the sausage and onions are lightly browned.
  3. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. 
  4. Add the wine and let it cook for about a minute.
  5. Stir in the diced tomatoes, cream, and gnocchi. Once the sauce starts to bubble again, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. 
  6. Uncover the pan, give it a good stir, and let it cook for another few minutes, or until the gnocchi has cooked through and is nice and soft and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  7. Stir in the parmesan cheese, basil, and salt & pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. 

Recipe Notes

  • There is no need to pre-cook the gnocchi. It'll cook right in the sauce. 
  • I bought a pack of 5 mild Italian sausages (Johnsonville brand) and used half of it for this recipe. Anything around the 8-10 ounce or so mark would work. Feel free to substitute with spicy Italian or another similar variety of sausage. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stacy says

    5 stars
    This is delicious. I’ve made it 2X now. Both times I used 1/2 and 1/2 because it’s what I have in the house. My Italian husband called it “restaurant quality.” Last night I ate mine over a bed of fresh baby spinach which was great as well if you want to eat more greens but don’t like salad like me. Thanks.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      That's awesome!! I'm so glad it's a hit with you guys. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment!

      Reply

  3. Marissa says

    So good!! Made this for the first time last night and I wanted to eat the whole pan! Would you happen to know how many calories are in one serving? Just trying to track what I eat. 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Marissa! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 I'm hesitant to put calorie info on the more decadent dishes like this one. A lot of people have an emotional attachment to the number, and I'd hate to deter someone for making and enjoying it or bring up feelings of guilt. I realize that is probably not the answer you were hoping for! Calories also do vary a lot depending on what type of sausage you use and the exact brand, so weighing the actual ingredients you use and inputting them into something like My Fitness Pal would probably give you a more accurate estimate.

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I haven't tried. In my personal experience, cream sauces don't always thaw so well. They tend to separate. And the gnocchi may get a little gloopy. With that said, it doesn't hurt to try if you end up with leftovers. I recommend re-heating on a low heat, and you may need to add a little more cream to restore the sauce to its former glory. If you've got a few minutes, maybe read thru the comments to see if other readers have tried freezing it. Let us know how it goes!

      Reply

  5. Maddy says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! There’s an incredible gnocchi restaurant around the corner and I eat there all the time but THIS was on par as good, and so easy to make. Thank you!! 😍

    Reply

    • Lisa says

      Quick question, is this ok to make in advance (say during the afternoon) and then just re-heat for dinner? Sometimes our schedules our crazy and we can’t eat dinner until 9 or 10, but I’d love to prepare in advance.

      Also, how is it as leftovers? (If there are any ;))

      Reply

      • Natasha says

        Hi Lisa! I think that should probably be fine, but reheat on a low heat since cream sauces can easily separate when re-heating. You may need to add a splash more cream to restore the sauce to its original glory.

        Reply

  6. Mollie says

    5 stars
    I literally make this at least once a week. Sometimes I’ll throw in some leftover spinach. One time I used bow tie pasta, though I should have cooked that some first and then added it to everything. It’s so easy and the cleanup is barely anything. It’s a staple in my recipe book now. Thank you so much! 🙂

    Reply

  7. Jeff Krinock says

    5 stars
    Delicious it is. I made it to recipe with one very minor addition: I crumbled in one strip of leftover bacon at the end. This was so quick and so good - rare to get such a nice combination.

    Reply

  8. Courtney Haueter says

    5 stars
    This is delicious! Our favorite gnocchi recipe so far. It was hearty, and all our kiddos (even the picky 4 year old) enjoyed it!

    Reply

  9. pam rowland says

    I’m hoping to make this tonight, but have to use what I have on hand for obvious reasons.

    I do have light cream and half and half. Would either work, or save the recipe for when my next food order comes in?

    Also, don’t have fresh basil leaves- which I know is heavenly! I’m growing them in my AeroGarden, but not quite ready to use. Can I use dried? If so, how much?

    Thanks so much!
    Pam

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Pam! I would use whichever of those two that has the highest fat percentage. I think this recipe probably will be fine if you don't use the heavy cream because the potato gnocchi will release starch to thicken the sauce, but the sauce will likely be a bit thinner/more watery overall. If you're not ok with that, I'd wait until your next order. As far as the basil goes, you could probably just skip it. I really just add it for the flavor that only fresh basil can give.

      Reply

      • Caroline Erger-Jarvis says

        5 stars
        I love this recipe. I have tried it with different sausages and cheeses. One of our faves is smoked gouda & mild Italian sausage. And sweet peppers added. Such an easy dish to prepare yet looks like I spent hours in the kitchen! Pair a nice salad with it & garlic bread.... Always a hit with company over.

        Reply

  14. Megan says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe we have added it as a side for our friendly Christmas party and there was non left. I make this at least twice a month and my family loves it including my kids. We are having it tonight thank you for sharing this amazing easy recipe

    Reply

  15. Julia says

    5 stars
    I’ve made this twice and doubled the recipe both times! SO good!! 2nd time I tried it with Trader Joe’s Frozen Kale Gnocchi. I sautéed the gnocchi first just to get that initial chill out of it and to prevent it from watering down the sauce. Flavor was so similar to regular gnocchi and dish came out just as great as the first time! Also made me feel like it was *slightly* heather haha 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I'm so glad you like it!! Good tip re: the kale gnocchi. I don't live near a Trader Joe's (I'm in Canada), so I haven't been able to try it. I'm curious, tho!

      Reply

  16. Karen says

    I don't have any white wine only white cooking wine. Can I use the cooking wine or what can I use for replscement?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I think that should be fine. It may be a little more salty, but if you’ve used it in sauces before, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You could always sub with the equivalent amount of chicken or beef broth if you wanted.

      Reply

  17. Donna says

    5 stars
    This was fantastic. Made it tonight for my very discriminating Italian dad who loved it and asked for the recipe. When he asks for a recipe, you know it’s terrific. Added spinach and some kale in the sauce for additional color. This one’s a keeper. Love that it’s one pot! Thank you.

    Reply

  18. Gina Tipton says

    I must say this was amazing! I did use an entire package (18 ounce) of sweet Italian sausage. It was just right! No other additions or substitutions. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply

  20. Greg Stark says

    4 stars
    I used tomatoe basil Italian sausage from my butcher, he makes the fresh daily. However because my wife is allergic to dairy I used unsweetened soy milk and Dsiya mozzarella rice cheese. While the cause does not thicken like using whole milk or heavy cream and real cheese, this is probably lower in calories, and we can all enjoy the say meal.

    Over the past 12 years I have become quite adapt at taking recipies and making them allergy safe.

    Reply

  21. Michael Whaley says

    For the gnocchi first timers - potato gnocchi is available in the frozen foods case at your grocery.
    That's what I use.
    Have not made this, but I will!

    Reply

  22. Cheryl says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! It is super easy to make and I can have a "fancy" and delicious dinner on the table in less than half an hour! I left out the sausage to make it vegetarian and it was still amazing 🙂

    Reply

  23. Emily says

    5 stars
    Wow! My first time cooking gnocchi and you made it so simple! This recipe is BEYOND easy, so so so delicious and every one was very impressed. I've used online recipes almost nightly for the last few years, and this is the first time I've ever commented on a recipe...that's how good it is! Thank you so much for putting this together. I'm definitely going to check out some of your other recipes x

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Awww I am so glad that you liked it and found it easy! 🙂 Appreciate you leaving a comment... it really helps us bloggers out.

      Reply

  24. Dennis says

    5 stars
    Fantastic! I made this last week and it was a big hit. I will be making this again tonight to take over to my parents!

    Reply

        • Natasha says

          Sure, doubling it is prob a good idea. Haven’t tried frozen gnocchi. You may want to cook it at a slightly lower heat when you add it to the pan. Or at least check on it to make sure the sauce isn’t burning while the gnocchi is still solid. It may take a little longer.

          Reply

        • Amrose says

          5 stars
          This was REALLY good! We had some frozen gnocchi I needed to use, I had used part of a can of diced tomatoes for something else, and half a roll of Italian sausage. I used this recipe to try and use up some the food - but my goodness! This was delicious!

          Reply

    • Robert Aslin says

      Made this last night and was to make this again. It was great , may try with shrimp or shredded chicken

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Jen! Honestly, I don't know. I haven't tested it. The coconut flavor may be a little odd, and it may end up fairly greasy. With that said, if you decide to give it a try, please let me/other readers know how it went! 🙂

      Reply

      • Jen says

        I did it! I used full fat coconut milk 1:1 it turned out amazing! I cooked my gnocchi separately because I used a gf version and added about a cup of spinach! Thank you for this recipe.

        Reply

        • Amber says

          5 stars
          This is one of my families absolute favorite recipes!!! The only thing we change is we sub out the italian sausage for chorizo!! Mhmmm. It is so good! I double the recipe each time we make it and it's always delicious thanks so much for posting this!!!
          **Also I hand make my gnocchi!

          Reply

  27. Rebecca Semenick says

    4 stars
    I made this tonight, and it was delicious! Quick and easy, too. I like the idea of adding mushrooms. I'll try that next time, as I'm definitely making this again!

    Reply

  28. ALISHA MENEELY says

    I'm soooooo bummed I tried this tonight and it was so soupy. I also used cauliflower gnocchi and it came out total mush! I will try and with regular gnocchi. Have to order a pizza!! Ugh!

    Reply

  29. Ellie says

    5 stars
    My first time making gnocchi! I thought this recipe was absolutely delicious, and easy to make too! I doubled the recipe, used a little less heavy cream, and substituted fresh basil for basil paste and it still turned out wonderfully. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

  30. JoyDee McCorkle says

    5 stars
    This is fabulous and different. We have an Italian Night every year and we're assigned one of the following ... antipasto, salad, entree and dessert. The hostess provides the bread. I'm up mnext and cannot wait to show off with this. THANK YOU!!!!

    Reply

  31. Liz says

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and it was great! My husband doesn’t care for cooked tomatoes so I just puréed the can of tomatoes before adding it; it still turned out amazing!

    Reply

    • Kate says

      This looks fabulous! My husband works nights and has to reheat EVERY dinner.. I know gnocchi doesn't always reheat well. How does this do as a leftover? Any tips or tricks to make it travel and reheat better?

      Reply

      • Natasha says

        Hi Kate! I'd say reheat it on a low heat on the stove. Creamy sauces can separate a bit in the microwave, I find.

        Reply

  32. Tara says

    Made this last night and it's a keeper. I added kale but otherwise made it exactly as written. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  35. Lauren says

    5 stars
    We made this last night and it instantly became one of our favorites! It was quick, easy and delicious!

    Reply

  36. Carol says

    Do you use uncooked sausage? And you cook it with the casing, which always seems tough to me. I just don't think I've ever seen 8oz pkg Italian sausage so sure wish you'd take a photo or give an exact name of the product. Is it fresh or frozen?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Carol! Yes, I used uncooked sausage. You can definitely take it out of the casing... I usually end up doing that too. Do you live in the USA or Canada? I use the Johnsonville brand. I am pretty sure they're shipped frozen, but I always used it thawed. Here's a link to what I use: https://www.johnsonville.com/products/mild-italian-links.html 🙂 I just went back to my recipe notes, and I used half a pack of the Johnsonville sausages (so 250g or 8.8 ounces). I will update the recipe to make it more clear - my apologies and thanks for bringing this to my attention.

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Joy! It’s a really quick stove top recipe, so I don’t recommend it. I think that the gnocchi may get rubbery, the sauce would probably become gloopy from the starch if you cook it for hours, and you’d have to brown the sausage anyway, so dirtying up a Crockpot would just add another unnecessary step. If you wanted to cook it the usual way and keep it warm in the Crockpot to serve a bit later, that would probably be fine, though.

      Reply

  39. Kat says

    This recipe is absolutely amazing!

    As soon as we tried this, we *loved* all the spicy creaminess this has to offer; it's *so* much better than boring marinara flavor of lots of Italian sauces. We had never made anything with gnocchi, but we have sought out other recipes that include these "bouncy potatoes" (my husband's nickname for gnocchi) thanks to this dish.

    This quickly became one of our favorite recipes and is now in our regular rotation--I can't even count how many times we've made it over the past year! Thanks so much for creating and sharing this!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Aww thank you for taking the time to leave this sweet comment! Bouncy potatoes lol love it. So happy this recipe is a regular for you!!

      Reply

  40. Vincent F Congemi says

    As far as substitute for using regular pasta is the cook it to a few under al dente and finish in the sauce. This way the pasta will get a chance to soak up the sauce as it finishes cooking. . Maybe add a few spoons of the starchy pasta water.

    Reply

  42. Michelle says

    5 stars
    This was crazy easy and so delicious with hot Italian sausage, my family all loved it! Thank you so much for a tasty and easy weeeknight recipe!

    Reply

  43. Nova says

    It’s very tasty but next time I will cook the gnocchi separate. I make my own gnocchi and cooking it with the sausage and sauce turned them into a gluggy mess. Live and learn.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hmm that's a shame! Good to know that this method works best with the store-bough gnocchi. Glad you liked the taste at least!

      Reply

  44. Sandy says

    5 stars
    Really, really good. I used sweet Italian and will try it next with hot Italian. I doubled the Parmesan cheese 🙂

    Reply

  45. Elizabeth Hooven says

    5 stars
    This was sooooo good! I doubled the sausage using Italian style chicken sausage and doubled the onions. It was even a hit with my 16 year old son and he is SUPER picky! Definitely a winner and new addition to the recipe book!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I think frozen gnocchi should work fine, you just may need to cook it for a little longer. I'd probably reduce the heat a tad and cook it for a few more minutes.

      Reply

  50. Ruth says

    5 stars
    I made this dish last night, and it was fabulous! The only thing I changed was I added some mushrooms. But sauce perfect, as was everything else, AND I shared to my FB list. Many thanks

    Reply

  51. Bob Swensen says

    Fantastic, I added mushrooms and spinach. Changed nothing else. The flavors melted together well, next time I’ll try adding some crushed red pepper.

    Reply

  53. Meghan says

    This may be a silly question, but do you use boxed gnocchi or fresh? Also, can a dense pasta such as gemelli be substituted if gnocchi is unavailable? Thanks! Can't wait to try this!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Meghan! Not a dumb question at all. I buy the gnocchi that's found in your standard pasta aisle in a grocery store. It's usually packaged in those see-through containers. If you can get your hands on fresh gnocchi, then even better! I'm not sure I'd do gemelli unless you cook it separately first. Reason being, the gnocchi is made of potatoes and tends to release quite a bit of starch while still cooking really quickly. Pasta will too, but I'm not confident that the one pan method will work without adding extra fluids (and that requires some testing vs. me just guessing). Hope this helps and that you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply

      • Nikki says

        How would you recommend cooking this if using fresh gnocchi? I couldn’t find any boxed, only Rana Skillet Gnocchi in the deli refrigerated section. The package says it can be softer prepared by boiling.. I’m thinking just adjust the time that the gnocchi is in the pan/sauce. Thanks.

        Reply

        • Natasha says

          Hi! As long as it’s not super delicate like the homemade variety, I think you could probably do it the same since cook time isn’t very long. I’ve tried this recipe with refrigerated gnocchi and it worked the same as the shelf stable kind.

          Reply

  54. Lisa says

    This was so good and everyone in the family loved it! Rich and delicious. Definitely comfort food. Can I substitute milk for the whipping cream?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Lisa! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed it. You could try substituting milk in, but the sauce may be quite a bit more watery and less creamy. You may need to adjust cooking time accordingly to let it cook down a bit more and thicken up. Maybe try half-and-half instead? Or experiment and let me know how it goes haha.

      Reply

  55. Jenna says

    They don't sell gnocchi in my town's grocery store. Could I substitute for regular pasta? Just wondering how the cooking time would change... Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Jenna! Gnocchi is made from potatoes so it’s really quite different than regular pasta. I would have to do some testing to figure out how a one pan meal like this would work with regular pasta (I’d probably have to add more liquid). Maybe cook the pasta separately and just make the creamy sausage sauce?

      Reply

  57. Gez says

    Cooked the gnocchi and sausage using spicy Italian sausage form my amazing local deli soooo good it was amazing thanks for the recipe

    Reply

  59. Lori says

    5 stars
    This was fantastic and my family loved it!
    Recipe is easy to double. I added a little Worcestershire sauce and that’s all I changed.

    Reply

  62. amy says

    5 stars
    The flavors you've packed into this dish look and sound amazing! I love your photography style. You really make me want to try everything I see on your website 🙂

    Reply

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